CHAN'S breath hitched as he faced the familiar sight of the detective—the most famous detective in town, and not to mention, Mal's cousin. The detective coughed in attempt to catch Chan's attention one more time.

"It won't take long. He's just going to visit me in the station for an hour or so, and I promise I won't pressure him or anything." The detective assured, causing Chan to nod his head to let him know that he understood his point. "It's just for the sake of the investigation—for Millie, and Griffin."

"I-I get it, it's just that... I don't think Mal is going to allow it, and I fairly think that Felix is not in the right state of mind to answer your questions, you see." Chan explained, rubbing his temple in distress as the image of the couple upstairs crossed his mind. "I also don't see why talking to Felix will help your investigation."

The detective sighed, his fingers wrapped tightly around each other in slight discomfort at the question.

"We have every reason to believe that Griffin's mother was organ trafficked by the same criminal that trafficked Felix around two months ago." The detective explained, his voice gentle to not attract the attention of the other roommates, who were separated inside the gigantic house yet could still everything if they wanted to. "Talking to Felix about his incident might help with the investigation. Not only that, but it might also help catch the criminal who trafficked and murdered Griffin's mother, and probably Millie Brown as well."

Chan's mouth gaped open for a few moments before his eyes rolled back in his head as he thought for a brief moment.

"Millie?" He questioned, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How is Millie caught up in all of this? Do you think it's the same criminal who did this to her as well?"

The detective firmly nodded his head, this time lowering his voice further to whisper something in Chan's ear.

"We've also detected missing organs in Millie's corpse, which was found in the nearby woods. But I couldn't tell my cousin this news, for obvious reasons."

Chan's eyes widened in shock, yet could still nod his head at how true the statement was. Mal broke down at the mention of Millie's dead body found in the woods. How else would she have reacted if she found out about an organ trafficking case associated with her best friend?

"You think this is all the same person?" Chan finally whispered, his heart jumping up and down between his ribs.

Did that mean that they were going to catch the criminal who hurt Felix?

His eyes sparkled with tears of hope, his hands clammy and trembling with the shock. After all, Felix was his best friend, and he couldn't wait to see the criminal who traumatized him behind bars.

"Sure." Chan finally replied, the image soon sending him a brief moment of relief. "I'll ask Mal about it. We'll do all that we can to help with this investigation."

"Thank you, Chan Bang." The detective firmly answered, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Your efforts are greatly appreciated."

Chan nodded his head, soon getting up from his seat to head for the exit of the room. "I'll go ask them right now."

. . .

Chan sighed in order to gather his courage as he raised his hand to knock on the door, not taking long before he clutched the metal doorknob and twisted it open, opening the door in one swift move.

"Guys?" He slowly peaked inside the room, meeting the sight of his two best friends lying down on the king-sized bed. His heart melted at the image of them all cuddled up to each other, his eyes turning downwards into little crescents of happiness. "Mal, your cousin wants to talk to Felix. He says it will help with the investigation he's running."

Mal's unfocused gaze shifted from her boyfriend's unconscious figure to her older friend, who remained by the door in order to not disturb them.

"Sure, um..." Her raspy voice came unclear and hesitant, taking another look at Felix as her fingers ran between his long, blond hair. "I'll wake him up and get him downstairs. Just... Y'know, don't let my cousin pressure him into talking, or remembering anything. Doctor's words, not mine."

Chan nodded his head, his own hand running through his short, chestnut brown hair to ease some of the tension in the room.

"So, um, are you guys good now?" His question caused her heart to drop, remembering the events of the night before.

She knew that Felix rejecting her wasn't a problem for both of them. After all, it was his personal space if he wanted to make it official or not. Yet, she couldn't help the pain in her heart as she remembered his answer. She wasn't angry with him, for she was never entitled. The heartbreak, though, was something she couldn't get over.

It was her own fault, though, wasn't it?

"Yeah, we are. I guess."

With that, Chan sent the couple a final smile—a genuine, delighted smile, before bolting out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead..." Mal soon turned to her lover, her vision focusing to meet the breathtaking sight of his features. "My cousin wants us downstairs."

Felix's eyes fluttered open, his vision not taking long to focus as he met the sight of his lover, soon realizing that their bodies were tangled together on one side of the king-sized bed.

"Good morning, baby..." He mouthed, causing a genuine smile to erupt from his lover. Mal's soft, plump lips placed a kiss on the crown of his head in reply, her mouth muttering a similar reply in the process.

"Let's get you downstairs, okay? My cousin is waiting, and he'll probably be mad as hell if I keep him waiting."

He barely nodded his head, slowly getting up from his side of the bed. Mal soon followed, then the couple made their way to their closet room to pick out an outfit for the day. Meeting the sight of the wardrobe stacked with different types of clothes, Felix quickly turned to his lover, his hand attached to hers only to give it a gently squeeze.

"Could you help me pick an outfit?" He mouthed, to which she nodded her head with a sweet smile.

"Of course, sunshine! Here, I was thinking—" She gently let go of his hand, her feet quickly leading her near the gigantic wardrobe. "How about this black tank top underneath this nice red jacket? And jeans to match with black vans."

He nodded his head with a wide smile, signalling that he was in love with the outfit she chose. After handing him the outfit of her choice, Mal then turned to the wardrobe once again to pick her own outfit.

Picking a black jumpsuit and black sneakers to match with her lover, she then hurried to change her clothes before taking his hand as they went down the stairs.

Towards the living room, where her cousin was.

. . .

"So, Felix... Could you tell me everything that you remember the night of your incident?" The detective questioned, grabbing his pencil and notebook to take notes of what the victim was about to say.

Or rather, write.

"All I remember was that... I was going back home and my phone died. I had little to no money and I wanted to go back home as soon as possible. I was walking through this long, dark street and it was almost impossible to see anything. Suddenly, a car pulled up to me and its owner asked if I wanted a ride. I was hesitant at first, but he seemed kind... I went with him," Felix closed his eyes in an attempt to suppress his shaky breaths. "The next thing I remember, I woke up in the hospital, unable to speak or walk normally. My stomach was hurting so much that I could almost vomit. They gave me painkillers once they were aware of the issue, but..."

The detective sighed, soon his fingers reaching to rub his temple in distress. All he knew at that moment was that he needed a lead... A string to follow so he could further investigate such gut-wrenching crimes.

"Do you remember the face of that person, Felix?"

Felix's face winced at the memory of the strange, yet familiar image of his kidnapper. His mind could only think about the figure that once was a strange man he trusted, yet ruined his entire life in one fateful night.

"He was... Old. I remember seeing a familiar face during the ceremony two weeks ago." Felix then allowed himself to shake his head as his breath hitched in desperation.

He wanted to be helpful. He needed to be.

However, for some reason, all he could process was a small portion of what actually happened.

The face of the man... He knew he could recognize it if he saw it again, just like what happened at the ceremony before Mal pulled him away to take his mind off things.

"How old do you think he was?"

Felix's fingers tightened their grip around his jeans, just barely to release some of his anxiety.

"I think... Early fifties, but I could be wrong."

"Are you certain he was at the ceremony?" Felix barely nodded his head at the question.

"I remember his side profile very clearly, because when I was sitting in the car, I could see the side of his face as he was driving. I occasionally saw his whole face and his eyes from the mirror at the front."

The detective continued to scribble some words down his notebook with his pencil, soon raising his eyes to gaze upon the young man. It was only then when he could finally see the dark circles under the victim's eyes, along with a sparkling gaze that broke the detective's heart, and the pursed lips knowing that he couldn't speak a full word no matter how hard he tried.

"Why didn't you tell anyone that he was there at the ceremony?"

"B-Because he... He was standing with Mal's mother for some time, it was enough to let me know that even if I said anything, no one would believe me. I couldn't because... What if I was wrong? What if it wasn't him? Everyone would think I'm insane. I'm only just the guy who lost his ability to speak and will probably hallucinate or make stuff up. I couldn't. I couldn't afford to make Mal upset, or worse; ashamed..."

The detective's grip around his pencil loosened as a sense of melancholy, heartbreak, overwhelmed his chest. He stared at the victim with a firm, yet reassuring gaze, locking their sight together for a few seconds before mouthing his final question.

"Who was he, Felix?"

Felix barely shook his head, finally allowing a small drop of his bottled up tears to stream down his face as he blinked.

"I d-don't know..." He mouthed, deciding to give up on writing his answer.

Because no matter how much he wrote, he still couldn't express all what was buried inside him.

He couldn't tell the detective that his life ended the day of the incident. He couldn't tell Mal that he rejected her proposal because it would be cruel for her to live with someone who wished himself to die every single day. And he couldn't tell any of his friends that he appreciated their efforts in helping him, but it just wasn't working because he wasn't the same anymore, and never would be.

It was never about what he could say, it was about what he couldn't say.

"I really want to help, but I can't..."

The detective nodded his head once again, sighing heavily in dismay and desperation. As much as he wanted to keep the victim longer in the investigation room, he knew he couldn't for obvious reason. Number one, his own cousin would be furious if her boyfriend was pressured to talk any further. Number two, the victim was in no good shape to continue the conversation. Number three, he had other people to face. Suspects, this time. Felix was only there to help, not to be treated as one.

"You're dismissed."

It didn't take long for Felix to walk through the exit of the room, mouthing a small word similar to 'goodbye'. He allowed himself to close the door behind him and make his way through the corridor, hoping to get to his lover's car so he could ask for reassurance. Reassurance that he knew he didn't deserve, not after how he broke her heart.

And it was only then when he spotted it. Or more specifically, him.

The same familiar, wrinkled face. The dark brown hair with white strands splattered throughout his entire head. The same slim, slender figure that he saw inside that same room, when he was going in and out of consciousness.

It was him.

The man who ruined his life that fateful day, was heading towards the same room he was being interviewed in, this time to answer the detective's questions; exactly as he was doing a few moments before.

It couldn't be.

He knew he wouldn't forget that face for as long as he was alive, he was sure of it. And if it wasn't for the police officers they were surrounded by, he would've been sure that the man was coming to get him—to drug him and hurt him like he did before.

The man's eyes fell on Felix's small frame, and Felix could almost swear he spotted the faintest smirk curving the man's mouth. For only a brief moment, the breath was knocked out of his body.

For only a brief moment, his feet had a mind of their own and took him across the corridor, away from the man so that he wouldn't pump into him.

And for only a brief moment, he swallowed his saliva as he passed the man's figure, and he found his head turning back to see if the man stopped or was making his way towards him, only to find that he was indeed opening the door and making his way inside the detective's office.

It was him.